Freshford House Museum Travel Guide: Top Sights in South africa,

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Freshford House Museum- Travel Tips What to See, How to Plan & Tours: Historical & Cultural; South Africa; 5 Reviews

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Suggested Duration: 1 hours

Freshford House Museum, located at 31 Kellner Street in Westdene, Bloemfontein, stands as a preserved exemplar of upper-middle-class Edwardian domestic architecture in South Africa. Designed and built in 1897 by English-trained architect John Edwin Harrison—who moved to South Africa in 1894—the residence features a distinctive asymmetrical red-brick façade, carved-wood veranda, bay windows, and corrugated-iron roof adorned with cast-iron details. Originally commissioned as Harrison's private home for himself and his wife Kate Caroline, the house captures the stylistic shift from late Victorian to Edwardian trends. Owned by the National Museum since 1982 and opened to the public in 1986, Freshford has been meticulously restored to its original layout and interior décor. The property includes a Late Victorian-style garden, researched and replanted to reflect plantings typical of 1890s Bloemfontein—recognizing local climate adaptations required for traditional British garden layouts. Visitors can explore period rooms furnished with original Victorian-era furniture, household items, dolls, and decorative accents, offering a window into the domestic lifestyle of a prosperous Bloemfontein family on the cusp of the 20th century.

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Reviews of Freshford House Museum

Salomé Botha

1
Reviewed: 2025-06-08

Under construction boards is up on site but no dates of more or less this museum will be open again.
Joël T.

5
Reviewed: 2025-02-17

This is a splendid little house museum. It does a great job of explaining how upper class people (British) lived in the Edwardian period in South Africa. The lady that was in charge of the museum gave us a fantastic tour of the place, taking the time to explain with lots of interesting details the customs and habits of that period through the objects they have collected. We felt priviledged that she took the time to give us so much information. We visited this house in late November or early December last year with our two young daughters and they still talk about this visit and things they saw over there.
John Du Preez

5
Reviewed: 2024-02-02

Absolute gem of a small museum in Bloemfontein. If you enjoy historical architecture and SA history in general, the house, the items in it, and the fantastically presented tour are an absolute must-see.
Vincent Motsatse

5
Reviewed: 2022-07-08

Really a wonderful place to visit and unwind. The tour guides are absolutely and the Victorian aesthetic in the house is mind-blowing ! I will definitely be visiting again.
Iclix Bloemfontein

5
Reviewed: 2022-02-15

It is an amazing trip back in time. Kids and I loved it. A great piece of history.